


Mothman and Other Magic Feelings

by together_in_the_stars



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Implied Relationships, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Pidge Uses They/Them Pronouns, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 16:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9829766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/together_in_the_stars/pseuds/together_in_the_stars
Summary: Keith knew he probably shouldn't go upstairs with Lance to smoke.  Last time, he had spouted nonsense about magic and the moon; it had resulted in everyone making fun of him for weeks.  However, he figured he could tap out after one hit.  He knew he had basically given in when Lance had grabbed onto his arm and began to drag him up the stairs.





	

When Lance had initially given the invitation to Shiro and Keith to come to his house for a party that weekend, Keith had rolled his eyes but accepted the invitation with a small smile. If it had been given even a year prior, Keith would have suspected that Lance was trying to set some sort of elaborate prank, but over the past few months they had come to a hesitant peace. Sure, Lance often ran his mouth just as often as he used to, but his eyes didn’t seem as hard as before when he spouted insults to rile up Keith. Whenever Lance shoved him or went to throw a playful punch, he would place an arm around Keith after and just linger. Keith couldn’t say he minded per say; however, he knew if Lance kept it up, he’d` eventually realize what exactly Keith was blushing at. Keith was both blessed and cursed for falling for the most oblivious shithead of his college.

The night of the party, Keith walked over to the apartments across the street, reserved mainly for graduate students of the college, and dragged Shiro away from his studies with the reminder that Allura and Pidge would most likely be at the party and be very disappointed if Shiro didn’t accompany him. Shiro had sighed and thrown an old sweatshirt over his head, straightening it out so that the cracked red lettering which proclaimed American University could be seen. Rushing across town, Shiro and Keith had made way to the old house Lance, Hunk, and Pidge rented for the semester. Bounding up the splinting steps of the porch, Keith waited for Shiro to follow before knocking on the peeled painting of the door. The door swung open moments later to reveal Coran wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt and jeans. His mustache was a frizzed mess, but his smile was as welcome as ever.

“Shiro, Keith! Come in, come in,” Coran exclaimed as he ushered them inside. When both were inside, Coran nudged the door shut with his foot and beamed at them.

Shiro looked at Coran’s shirt with a raised eyebrow, smiling slightly as he said, “Coran, Lance didn't tell us it was a themed party.” 

Coran laughed and clapped Shiro on the shoulder, saying how it wasn’t a themed party, but how he would be remiss not to wear the shirt which was apparently relevant for any and all occasions. Shiro huffed out a laugh at Coran’s antics and Keith made his way to the kitchen, trying to find anyone he knew among the crowd of people gathered in the living room as he went to get himself a drink. 

Lance was sitting on the kitchen counter when he made his way into the kitchen, the window behind him letting in a slight breeze that just so happened to make ruffle Lance’s hair with every current. Lance’s cat, Blue, was sitting contentedly in his lap, purring as Lance stroked her fur. 

Lance smiled at Keith, a mischievous glint to his eyes, while he flourished his arms around to kitchen to announce: “Hey, dude. So, beers are up for grabs by the fridge and there’s also some vodka in the corner that can be mixed with soda. Also, Hunk threw together a party punch and while it does look a little intimidating, it’s not nearly as bad as the time Coran tried to recreate the batch from his undergrad days. And solo cups are by the punch cooler.”

Keith ignored the way Lance’s white tank top lifted slightly to expose Lance’s tanned, flat stomach while he waved his arms around. Instead, Keith opted to shift forward to inspect the cooler of purple punch. He couldn’t smell much besides the kool-aid which served to mask the taste of the alcohol. Grabbing a solo cup, he grabbed the ladle sitting next to cooler and began scooping some punch for himself. Lance watched him, humming along to the 90s pop song that was playing in the living room from the old stereo Pidge had repurposed from a garage sale. When Keith had filled his cup, he shuffled over to offer his free hand to Blue to inspect before she allowed him to pet her. Keith smiled, petting the cat while she purred happily, stretched out in Lance’s lap. 

Lance grinned and scratched behind her ears before asking, “How’s Red doing?”

Keith pouted at the reminder of his own cat. 

“She’s good,” Keith muttered. “She’s still pissed at me though, but I think she’s finally starting to forgive me.”

Lance laughed and nodded; Keith knew that Lance was no stranger to his cat’s moods. Once Lance had started hanging out more with Keith and Shiro, he had gotten his fair share of scratches and bite marks from Red. Seeing as the cat mainly left Lance unscathed said a lot about how much Red tolerated Lance. There were even some days that Keith was convinced Red liked Lance more than Keith, but eventually he chalked it up to Lance just being a natural with cats. Even Shiro’s more reserved cat, Black, allowed Lance to trail after him and cuddle him, much to Shiro’s initial chagrin.

“What’d you bribe her with this time,” Lance inquired.

Keith rolled his eyes before admitting, “I may have gotten her a few extra toys from the store when I went grocery shopping the other day. And I started leaving more treats out for her before going to bed.”

Lance laughed again before picking Blue up in his arms so he could hop down the counter. Blue shifted so she could rub her cheeks against Lance’s. 

“So, I think the others are going to go up for a smoke soon. Wanna join, mullet?”

Keith cringed at the thought of smoking. The last time he had gone upstairs, he had started spouting nonsense about magic and the moon. It had taken weeks for Lance to stop bringing it up. Even Shiro had teased him about his high-minded theories and he wasn’t so sure he wanted to go through another few weeks of getting laughed at.

Lance bumped shoulders with him, interrupting his thoughts.

“Come on, space cowboy. I’m going to put Blue up in my room so she doesn't get into shit she shouldn’t. Everyone else is coming. Even Coran!”

Keith raised an eyebrow, thinking about how ridiculous the older man would be under the influence of marijuana. He didn’t verbalize his doubts because he knew that Allura and Shiro were excited to see the older man; even though Coran wasn’t much older than Allura or Shiro, they hadn’t seen the man since he had graduated from the graduate program and moved to get a stable job in the city. When Keith thought of Coran though, he felt as if the man was ancient compared to the rest of them. Anyone with a stable job seemed light years away from their college cohort. Lance, however, merely shrugged in response and grabbed onto Keith’s hand with his free hand, tugging him towards the staircase in the corner of the living room. Keith sighed, figuring he could just tap out after one hit, knowing he’d already given into Lance. 

Lance hurried into his room, setting Blue gently onto his bed, framed by a line of white Christmas lights which hazily illuminated the room. Grabbing a few treats for her from his closet, Lance kicked his dirty clothes under his bed as he went. Keith wrinkled his nose at the sight, but was surprised the room didn’t reek despite the mess on the floor. Giving Blue a parting pet, Lance quickly closed the door and led Keith to the what was supposed to be the storage closet next to the bathroom. Opening the door, Keith saw that a circle had already been formed and the fire alarm had been disbanded and thrown into the corner, the batteries gleaming bright against it. 

Keith sat next to Allura and Coran, scooting over so that Lance could sit next to him after he shoved the towel properly under the door. Pidge sat across from Keith and produced the joint from their pocket with a small whoop. Grinning, they adjusted their glasses before grabbing a lighter from their other pocket to light it up. They took a long drag and Keith watched as they steadily exhaled, doing so a few more times to make sure the joint was properly lit before passing it to Hunk. And so Keith watched the well practiced custom of puff-puff-pass commence. Hunk passed to Coran who passed to Lance, who Keith determinedly did not look at while he inhaled before blowing out a puff of smoke. 

When the joint was finally passed to Keith, he gingerly held it between his thumb and forefinger, determined not smell in the stench of skunk or get smoke up his nose (like the last time he had smoked). With shaking hands, Keith took a long drag before exhaling. He repeated the process, coughing slightly into his elbow while he handed the joint to Allura.

Lance smacked his back lightly, while Coran excitedly told him how the coughing meant he'd inhale more of the weed. While Keith struggled to regain his breathing, he hoped the burning in the back of his throat would cease soon.

The joint made another few rounds around the circle before Pidge produced another joint and lit that one up as well. As Keith watched his friends take hit after hit, he felt himself swaying and focused in one the way the joint glowed red at the tip when each person had the joint pressed against their lips, pulling in breath after breath. He was passed the joint for a fourth time and as he clumsily grabbed it, he remembered he was supposed to stop after the first hit. Shrugging, he pressed the joint to his lips and took a drag, locking eyes with Lance as he did. Removing the joint, Keith giggled as he exhaled. Lance smiled back at him and Keith giggled again before taking his last hit and handing the joint over to Allura. 

Scooting away from the circle, Keith laughed to himself at the sound his body made as he sluggishly tried to lean against the wall. He let his head sag against the wall behind him. Wow. He felt nice. The wall was also pretty cool, in his professional opinion. Keith giggled again, watching the way the joint traveled from person to person. Lance took another hit of the joint when it was passed to him and reached over to give it to Allura before scooting back to sit next to Keith. Keith tried to turn his head towards Lance, but felt as if his head was moving haltingly, as if someone had taken the a bunch of photos of Keith and was slowly placing them together to make a stop motion movie. When Keith could finally look into then Lance’s blue eyes he smiled, feeling as if his teeth were cracking out of his mouth to escape the frame of his lips. 

Lance smiled back and shifted so he was slumped slightly against Keith. Keith knew he shouldn't talk to Lance, or well anyone, he would say something stupid. He remembered the last time he had gotten high and ran his mouth. But looking at Lance, he felt inclined to say: “You’re smile is the best smile in the universe.”

Lance laughed, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. Keith didn’t think what he had said was that funny, but he didn’t care because he liked the sound of Lance’s laughter. 

Keith shifted closer to Lance and said, “Lance. I have to tell you something. But you can’t tell anyone else.”

Lance hummed, eyes open to reveal blue eyes tinted with red. 

Keith shifted so he was leaning against Lance, an arm draped on Lance’s shoulder for balance as he whispered directly into his ear: “I know how Mothman feels.”

Lance gasped before he curled in on himself, clutching his chest as he laughed. Keith frowned at him, poking him before staring at the group to make sure no one had discovered his secret. Allura, Shiro, and Pidge were lying next to one another animatedly waving their arms as they talked about something to do with Shakespeare. Coran and Hunk were patting absently at their stomachs, muttering about their favorite recipes. 

Keith jabbed at Lance, shushing him. Lance continued to laugh for another few minutes before they tapered off into muted gasps.

Sitting up again, Lance draped an arm over Keith’s shoulders, mimicking Keith’s earlier move, before asking, “How does Mothman feel?”

Keith thought for a moment before whispering, “He feels like magic. Lance, I understand now. He’s out there. And I understand how he feels.”

Lance nodded, eyes wide and a grin revealing his dimples. Then Lance toppled over, like a broken jenga tower, into Keith’s lap. Keith felt the air in his chest whoosh out of him in surprise. 

“Hey, Keith,” Lance muttered, “Let’s go visit Blue.”

Keith frowned. If Lance wanted to go see Blue he didn’t understand why he had just fallen into his lap and he said as much to the other boy. Lance muttered something, but Keith got too distracted by the haze around the lighting to hear. Lance shifted so he could steady a hand against the wall and pull himself up. He leaned down and offered Keith a hand, dragging Keith to his feet as well. 

The others stared at them at the sudden movement. Keith noticed that Allura had somehow moved so she was cuddled into Shiro’s side, an arm across his chest so she could hold Pidge’s hand. Pidge was settled on Shiro’s other side, glasses pushed up to the top of their head so their wide eyes could be seen clearly. The trio’s legs were a tangled mess reminding Keith of the mangled, protruding roots of the trees by his own apartment. 

“I don’t know about y’all, but I’m definitely feeling it,” Lance managed to say while he swayed against Keith. 

“So, I’d say y’all should crash here for the night and just leave when ya feel like it. I’m gonna go and visit Blue,” he rushed out in a jumbled sentence. The others easily nodded their assent. 

Lance made his way to the door, kicking the towel out of the way, still holding onto Keith’s hand.

“Keith’s coming with me, by the way,” Lance laughed before pulling them out of the room and swinging the door shut with an accompanied sound effect.

They stumbled down the hallway, Lance dragging his feet. Keith kept glancing at Lance and had to stifle giggles at his thoughts. He couldn’t help thinking about how much he liked Lance’s face and how the wood paneling of the floors kept transporting him to different realms when he stepped between different lines. He appreciated the balance Lance provided. 

When they reached Lance’s room, Lance opened the door gently, dancing inside before releasing Keith’s hand to push the door shut behind them. Blue glanced up at the two of them and chirruped happily at Lance, resting in the same spot they had left her. Lance cooed at her, moving forward to pet her. Meanwhile, Keith shuffled to the desk chair in the corner of the room and managed to arrange himself so he was sitting in the chair. Lance threw his head back to grin at Keith. Keith grinned back before looking about the things spread out on Lance’s desk. There were makeup wipes, sparkling nail polish that reminded Keith of constellations trapped in a bottle, and a collection of pens. 

He was so busy taking note of the different shapes and sizes of the pens, that he didn’t even notice Lance stumble over towards him.

“Keith,” Lance mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

“Keith,” he repeated, before continuing: “I’m tired. I’m gonna go to sleep in a minute.”

Keith nodded, moving to stand, knowing that he had to go now. He pictured himself making his way back down the way he came towards the staircase and settling in on the couch to sleep. In the morning, Shiro would come to collect him and they’d get breakfast, maybe all of them would go to that one diner across from the overpriced college bookstore. Once he had visualized it all, Keith felt more concrete in the reality of the situation. 

Just as he was standing up, Lance mumbled, “You can stay if you want.”

Keith stared blankly at Lance. He knew he was high; he knew that he could be reading this wrong or mishearing what Lance was saying.

“What,” Keith croaked, trying not to inspect the blush that dusted across Lance’s cheekbones too seriously despite how pretty it looked.

“You can stay in here, if you want. With me.”

Keith paused before nodding, feeling more like a bobblehead than a human. Lance grinned and tugged away the covers of his blue bedspread, tossing himself onto the mattress and waving a hand at the available space on the bed next to him. Keith lay down next to Lance, adjusting himself while Lance pulled the covers up to his chest and allowing Blue to settle next to his head. Keith squeezed himself closer to Lance, careful to be far away from the edge of the bed. Closing his eyes, he began to even out his breathing, listening to Lance whisper to Blue under the white of the Christmas lights.

Keith was falling asleep when he thought he heard Lance whisper to Blue: “I think I should tell him soon, Blue.”

***

The next morning, Keith woke up to Lance sprawled on top of his chest, drooling into his t-shirt. Blue was curled up next to his check, contentedly licking at the long strands of his hair. Wrinkling his nose, Keith tapped her pink nose and laughed when she narrowed her eyes at him. He knew he should probably be figuring out a way to get out from under Lance, or at the very least avoid the awkward conversation that was sure to ensue, but he wanted to give himself a few moments of peace. He could hear the wall clock in the corner of the room ticking away and peeked over to see it proclaim a wretched time of 8 am. 

Lance inhaled deeply before groaning and slapping at Keith’s cheek. 

“Ow,” Keith said, slapping at Lance’s shoulder.

“Stop thinking so loud, mullet,” Lance accused with his eyes still closed. 

Keith huffed, about to make a scathing retort when Lance said, “We can talk about our mutual, passionate attraction, or whatever, towards each other later. Go back to sleep.”

Keith sputtered, ready to deny any such thing, when Lance opened one eye to glare at Keith. 

“Let me sleep, mullet. Talk later.”

Keith grumbled under his breath but closed his eyes, unable to keep the slight smile off his lips. He could manage a few more hours of sleep. And then he’d get up, maybe make Lance’s life slightly difficult with the whole confessions business, and gather the others to get a much needed breakfast. Yeah, that might work, he thought as Blue’s purring helped him drift back to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trash so thanks to everyone who stuck around to read this! Comments and kudos would be very much appreciated! Come follow me on [tumblr](http://amazingallura.tumblr.com/)!


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